title: Preparation of a thermosensitive highly regioselective cellulose/N-isopropylacrylamide copolymer through atom transfer radical polymerization.
abstract: Regioselective copolymerization of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) onto cellulose was achieved by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) using a regioselectively modified 6- O-bromoisobutyryl-2,3-di- O-methyl cellulose macroinitiator. Varying the ratio of NIPAM to macroinitiator to ligand to transition metal in a Cu(I)Br/ N, N, N', N'', N'''-pentamethyldiethylenetriamine (PMDETA) catalyst system affected graft yield and degree of polymerization. ATRP proceeded to completion without any trace of the macroinitiator, and a degree of polymerization (DP) of polyNIPAM up to 46.3 was obtained. Increasing the DP of the NIPAM component increased both the thermal decomposition temperature and the glass transition temperature of the copolymer. The grafting of NIPAM also affected the solubility properties of the methylcellulose. The 6- O-polyNIPAM-2,3-di- O-methyl cellulose formed a stable suspension in water at room temperature and underwent a hydrophillic-to-hydrophobic transition and copolymer precipitation when the temperature was raised above 30 degrees C.
authors.affiliation: Advanced Biomaterials Chemistry Laboratory, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada.
authors.forename: Shinsuke
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ifuku
authors.forename: John F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Kadla
mesh_terms: D000178:Acrylamides / Q000737:chemistry*; D002384:Catalysis; D002482:Cellulose / Q000737:chemistry*; D008747:Methylcellulose / Q000737:chemistry; D044367:Phase Transition; D011108:Polymers / Q000138:chemical synthesis*; D012995:Solubility
chemical_list: D000178:Acrylamides; D011108:Polymers; D002482:Cellulose; D008747:Methylcellulose; C067295:N-isopropylacrylamide